Round Pond residents are anxiously awaiting the fate of their beloved general store and community hub, King Ro Market. The store was put up for sale last month by owners B. J. Russell and Lori Cook, according to Bangor Daily News.

It's now on the market for $695,000, the newspaper reported, and before Russell's parents reopened the store in 1971 following a short hiatus, it had been in operation since the 1860s.

Given the community involvement of the store, its previous owners are hoping the new management keeps the store open year round and continues community events like weekly Friday night dinners and music on Monday nights, but they have no way of guaranteeing that.

Their worst nightmare, Crook told BDN, would be if their beloved store were turned into a chain like Cumberland Farms or new owners decided to close it from fall through spring.

“Whoever buys the store has to realize that they’re not going to get rich. It’s a lifestyle. There are not a lot of people who would go for that,” Russell said.

Russell and Crook kept the King Ro Market open every day, including Christmas. It might be a lofty assumption to think the new owners would be that diligent in keeping the store open, but here's hoping it will continue its legacy of year-round community involvement and support.

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